Last week was tough. There were deaths, explosions, maiming, manhunts and lockdowns. The entire country seemed to be in a state of shock and depression, and I was no exception. So, by the end of the week, I was really glad that I had scored some tickets to go see Kathy Griffin. We really needed some comedy in the midst of the non-stop horrors being replayed on the 24 hour news stations.

We left the house with every intention of getting downtown with enough time to grab some sushi at a nearby restaurant. An accident, closed street and 20 extra minutes of traffic via a detour derailed that plan. So, we headed straight to the theater, and instead decided to drink. Seemed like a valid alternative.

I found it interesting that a bar in a theater that regularly has operatic performances serves Jello Shots. And no, I didn’t get one, but I was tempted. I instead had the Caramel Apple Martini. In a plastic cup. It was classy. But also delicious!

When we found our seats, we realized that we had somehow ended up with pretty good ones. We were about 5th row centerish, which was unexpected. See, I ordered the tix months ago through Groupon, so I had no idea what I was getting, especially at half price! But we were hooked up.

After a few minutes, a pair of girls sat down beside me. I happened to overhear them mention something about getting the same deal, and asked them if they also got tickets from Groupon. They said yes, and we started chatting about the great and unexpected seats. I talked to them for a bit. They were very . . . vivacious. At one point, I turned to the hubs and said, “look at me being social!” I could tell by the reluctant momentary glance away from CNN.com on his iPhone, that he was very impressed with my feigned extraversion. At one point in our conversation, I happened to notice the top of one of the girls’ foot. There was a face there. I remarked about how cool it was, thinking she would tell me it was her boyfriend or husband or something. Nope.

In case you can’t tell, that’s a picture of James Dean. On the top of her foot. That just seems . . . painful. She had another face on the top of her other foot as well. Any guesses as to whose face might be there? You know what . . . I’m not going to tell you. I’ll let you try to figure it out . . .

Once Kathy came out, we were pretty much ready to get our laugh on. And she didn’t disappoint. She is basically one of those people who you either love or hate, I’ve found. So, I’ve included a video of some of the performance, and if you are so inclined, you can see some of her show below. (Warning: NSFW).

(Click picture for video)

After the show, we were pretty much starving, since we hadn’t had dinner yet, and it was approaching 11:00 at night. So, we figured we would revisit the sushi place we had initially had our sights set on. The only problem was, according to their website, they closed at 11:00. It was 10:45. We had to hurry. When we arrived, they didn’t want to serve us, but we noted that it was still 15 minutes until they closed, that we were starving, and that we would order right away. They graciously allowed us to come in. We quickly ordered some rolls, and within a couple of minutes, except for the waitress, we were the only people in the place. It was a little strange.

After 11:00, we started noticing something else a little strange. A very raucous noise that sounded like it was coming from the basement of the place. We soon discovered why the wait staff was so keen on shutting the doors at 11:00. Apparently, that was when the karaoke started downstairs. It was . . . loud. And not entirely pleasant. Pretty much exactly how karaoke is supposed to be. So, as we finished our delicious rolls, we were serenaded by some incredibly poor singers, that apparently did not understand the concept of reading the words of the song they were attempting to sing. There was a lot of mumbling is what I’m saying. And then! Then, a guy started making what can only be described as ear shattering and soul crushing noises. We deciphered that it was supposed to be Never Gonna Give You Up. Wow.

But look at me! Being all selfish. I mean, why should I be the only one to experience the gloriousness that was this singer’s voice? No, that would just be wrong. In fact, when I was listening to this sweet serenade of Rick Astley’s wonderful hit song, I was thinking, “you know who would really enjoy this? Everyone!” So, that’s when I hit record. You’re welcome!

Not that anyone asked, I’m sure, but immediately after this stirring rendition of the song, the gentleman decided to perform an encore. That was pretty much our cue to flee the premises. I don’t think we could take that . . . twice.

Dang, I knew I’d forget! It’s (almost) lunch time so I was able to watch the Karaoke one… And now my ears are bleeding… 😉
The other one’s longer and I don’t want them “catching” me. She is a funny lady though. 🙂